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Installation of "VAC" in Windows -10

Earl
Earl Member ✭✭
edited June 2020 in FLEX Series (Legacy) Radios
     I have been unable to install  "VAC"  (Eugene Muzzychenko) software in my new computer running Win-10 OS.  I have used up all my "paid for"  4 downloads trying (ouch!).  How does one get this software to load (or to disable the "digital signature requirement" of Win - 10 - if this is necessary)?  I need to know before spending more bucks trying!
    Is there an alternative software available?  My FLEX Smart SDR & FLdigi installed and running properly - I'm otherwise ready to go!    HELP PSE!
Tnx,
Earl - N1VP




Answers

  • DonS
    DonS Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Are you using SSDR?  If so, you do not need VAC.  When installing SSDR it should also install DAX which provides basically the same thing VAC provides.
  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited March 2017
    Send an e-mail to Eugene asking for support.
  • WX7Y
    WX7Y Member ✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    If you haven't already tried it, try at boot up go into unsigned driver setup (see step by step using google getting into unsigned driver mode) and try to load VAC. 
    I had to do this with SmartSDR CAT and DAX drivers to get them to work properly on my WIN10 upgraded computer. 
    Hope this helps and 73's
    Bret WX7Y
  • Peter K1PGV
    Peter K1PGV Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    What error are you getting? What problem are you seeing? Can you describe the specific symptoms you're seeing? Ultimately, the driver's author IS the one who provides ultimate support, but we'll try to help you here if you describe what you're seeing. Peter K1PGV
  • Walt - KZ1F
    Walt - KZ1F Member ✭✭
    edited November 2016
    I had the same issue with win7 and the vac driver I had to run win 7 in test mode to load it (VAC driver). However, vac is ONLY needed for powersdr. I am, not at all, disagreeing with what Peter just said, but if it worked on win7 and doesn't on Win10, why not just bag Win10? The fact I had to run Win7 in test mode because the author of the driver couldn't sign it made me not want to use psdr, or win 7.
  • Earl
    Earl Member ✭✭
    edited August 2015
    I tried that but he didn't respond!
  • Andrew VK5CV
    Andrew VK5CV Member ✭✭
    edited February 2017

    My VAC installation survived the upgrade to Win10. Is 32bit version.

    Andrew

  • George KF2T
    George KF2T Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Seconding Don's comments - if you're using SmartSDR, use the DAX product, not VAC. It works better, is supported by Flex, and doesn't require you to do too much configuring.
  • Paul_Mills
    Paul_Mills Member ✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Mine survived upgrade to WINDOWS 10, 64-bit from WINDOWS 7.
  • Earl
    Earl Member ✭✭
    edited June 2020
     I have it working now -  the secret was in learning how to disable the "digitally signed  driver requirement for unsigned drivers" ("VAC" is not a digitally signed driver).  Installation was then straight forward and I am now up and running (using FLdigi and Flex PowerSDR 2.7).  It also helps to read user guides supplied with software - shame on me).
    Thanks to all who responded to my cry for "HELP!"   - your help was appreciated! 

    73,  Earl - N1VP


  • Peter K1PGV
    Peter K1PGV Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Earl,

    I'm glad you got it working... but as far as I can tell, you shouldn't have to disable driver signing... should you?

    I looked at the V4.14 file that's installed and the driver itself IS indeed signed correctly.

    If you're good with what you're doing now, that's fine... I don't mean to make more work for you.  But I seem to remember VAC being a properly signed driver (though it is not properly installed via a signed driver package), and looking at it just a few moments ago it still looks that way.

    Peter
    K1PGV
  • Walt - KZ1F
    Walt - KZ1F Member ✭✭
    edited November 2016
    Hey Peter, if it isn't too involved would you mind explaining how to get it properly installed maintaining 'prod' mode? Subsequent to the arrival of the 6500 I uninstalled the VAC driver and placed Win 7 back in Prod mode. That pretty much means I can't use the 1500 any longer. So I suspect additionally Earl would benefit from knowing how to install it properly.

    Thanks,

    Walt
  • Peter K1PGV
    Peter K1PGV Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016

    I'm not sure how the author instructs folks to install this driver.  Does he specifically say to bypass signing?

    There are two parts to kernel-mode code signing:

    1) Signing the install package

    2) Signing the driver executable image

    The driver itself certainly looks like it's signed so that it will load (see below)... but it also looks like he hasn't created a signed driver package (which would entail having a .INF and a .CAT file)... is that right?  Because I don't SEE this package in his ZIP archive (and I'd rather not try to run his setup program on my development machine).

    The one interesting thing is the code signing certificate he's using expired in 2011... and he apparently signed the driver in 2010.  If his code signing certificate is no longer valid, that would explain why he hasn't/can't create a proper installation package for his driver that'd allow it to be installed with "normal means."

    When I installed VAC "back in the day" I don't remember having to bypass driver signing.  But that was a long time ago, and I might have installed in on an x86 machine (where there IS No driver signing requirement).

    I know, that's a relatively long but not a very helpful answer...

    Peter
    K1PGV

    -------------------------

    D:signing>signtool verify /kp /v vrtaucbl.sys

    Verifying: vrtaucbl.sys
    Hash of file (sha1): 4E198F76DF1A4596E3F1EF7B7CDFA63D76145F43

    Signing Certificate Chain:
        Issued to: Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority
        Issued by: Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority
        Expires:   Tue Aug 01 19:59:59 2028
        SHA1 hash: 742C3192E607E424EB4549542BE1BBC53E6174E2

            Issued to: VeriSign Class 3 Code Signing 2009-2 CA
            Issued by: Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority
            Expires:   Mon May 20 19:59:59 2019
            SHA1 hash: 12D4872BC3EF019E7E0B6F132480AE29DB5B1CA3

                Issued to: NTONYX Ltd.
                Issued by: VeriSign Class 3 Code Signing 2009-2 CA
                Expires:   Sun Jan 09 19:59:59 2011
                SHA1 hash: 7B844A273AC2BBD53A23D278F716FC6B43E8AC2E

    The signature is timestamped: Wed Apr 07 23:44:00 2010
    Timestamp Verified by:
        Issued to: Thawte Timestamping CA
        Issued by: Thawte Timestamping CA
        Expires:   Thu Dec 31 19:59:59 2020
        SHA1 hash: BE36A4562FB2EE05DBB3D32323ADF445084ED656

            Issued to: VeriSign Time Stamping Services CA
            Issued by: Thawte Timestamping CA
            Expires:   Tue Dec 03 19:59:59 2013
            SHA1 hash: F46AC0C6EFBB8C6A14F55F09E2D37DF4C0DE012D

                Issued to: VeriSign Time Stamping Services Signer - G2
                Issued by: VeriSign Time Stamping Services CA
                Expires:   Thu Jun 14 19:59:59 2012
                SHA1 hash: ADA8AAA643FF7DC38DD40FA4C97AD559FF4846DE

    Cross Certificate Chain:
        Issued to: Microsoft Code Verification Root
        Issued by: Microsoft Code Verification Root
        Expires:   Sat Nov 01 09:54:03 2025
        SHA1 hash: 8FBE4D070EF8AB1BCCAF2A9D5CCAE7282A2C66B3

            Issued to: Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority
            Issued by: Microsoft Code Verification Root
            Expires:   Mon May 23 13:11:29 2016
            SHA1 hash: 58455389CF1D0CD6A08E3CE216F65ADFF7A86408

                Issued to: VeriSign Class 3 Code Signing 2009-2 CA
                Issued by: Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority
                Expires:   Mon May 20 19:59:59 2019
                SHA1 hash: 12D4872BC3EF019E7E0B6F132480AE29DB5B1CA3

                    Issued to: NTONYX Ltd.
                    Issued by: VeriSign Class 3 Code Signing 2009-2 CA
                    Expires:   Sun Jan 09 19:59:59 2011
                    SHA1 hash: 7B844A273AC2BBD53A23D278F716FC6B43E8AC2E

    Successfully verified: vrtaucbl.sys

    Number of files successfully Verified: 1
    Number of warnings: 0
    Number of errors: 0

    D:signing>

    -------------------------

  • Tim - W4TME
    Tim - W4TME Administrator, FlexRadio Employee admin
    edited December 2016
    :-(

  • Walt - KZ1F
    Walt - KZ1F Member ✭✭
    edited November 2016
    Thanks Peter. If I understand you correctly, the only way I could reinstall that on win7 is to force win7 back to test mode. That struck me as strange at the time in that it not only didn't put just the driver in test mode it put the entire OS in test mode. Perhaps that was not necessary but that's the only thing I could find on Google. Further sounds like what you're implying is rather than put the entire OS and test mode one could put it in a mode such that it would allow unsigned drivers which seems less severe than test mode. What was interesting is once in test mode down at the bottom right of the screen there it was in and white lettering TEST.

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